Transcript Risks Linked To The Hydrogen Use

SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS, GAS,
INSTALLATION
 Maintain permanently a good ventilation of the building which might receive
hydrogen plant.
 The light fittings, switches and sockets installed in the hydrogen gas area shall be
antideflagrating type and approved for hydrogen.
 A 9Kg (minimum) powder type fire extinguisher shall be provided.
 Instructions : "NO SMOKING" and "IT IS FORBIDDEN TO BRING IN FIRE UNDER
WHATSOEVER FORM“ shall be displayed.
 The room shall be used only for hydrogen production.
 Access to the generator shall be prohibited to anyone non-authorized to operate it.
 All parts in contact with oxygen gas must be degreased.
 Never handling the caustic potash of the electrolyte solution without individual safety
protection equipment.
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
TO DISPLAY
NO S MOK ING !
OUTSIDE AND INSIDE
THE HYDROGEN BUILDING
NO MO B IL E P HO NE !
OUTSIDE AND INSIDE
THE HYDROGEN BUILDING
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
TO DISPLAY
OUTSIDE AND INSIDE
THE HYDROGEN BUILDING
OUTSIDE AND INSIDE
THE HYDROGEN BUILDING
NO E NT R Y T O A NY ONE
WHO DOE S NOT
B E L ONG T O T HE
S E R VIC E !
IT IS F OR B IDDE N T O
B R ING IN F IR E UNDE R
WHA T S OVE R F OR M
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
TO DISPLAY
OUTSIDE AND INSIDE
THE HYDROGEN BUILDING
NEAR THE OXYGEN OUTPUT
B UIL DING F OR
HY DR OG E N
P R ODUC T ION
ONL Y !
WA R NING O X Y G E N !
IT C O UL D B E A R IS K O F
S E L F -INF L A MMA B IL IT Y IN T HE
E VE NT O F DIR E C T C O NT A C T WIT H
A G R E A S Y S UB S T A NC E
HYDROGEN GAS PROPERTIES
FORMULA

PARTICULARITIES
H2




FLAMMABILITY LIMITS IN AIR


Lower
Upper
4%
74,5%
(à 20°C, 1 ATM.)
FLAMMABILITY LIMITS IN OXYGEN


Lower
Upper
4%
74,5%
(à 20°C, 1 ATM.)
MINIMUM AUTO IGNITION TEMPERATURE


Air
Oxygen
570°C
560°C
FLAME CHARACTERISTICS

Air
Flame temperature
Max .speed flame
1.430°C
2,65 m/s

Oxygen
Flame temperature
Max. speed flame
2.830°C
14,36 m/s
Colorless
Odorless
Flammable gas (invisible flame)
Non toxic gas
RISKS DUE TO A HYDROGEN GAS
PLANT

As for all gas installations, specific risks related to each installation have to be known.

Principal danger sources about hydrogen plants are :

Gas inflammation in case of excess of warmth, sparks or flame

Risk of an « explosive » atmosphere in case of a hydrogen gas concentration higher
than 4%

Gas auto ignition risk in case of a temperature higher than 500°C

Leakage risk due to the high fluidity of hydrogen gas and the difficulty of its
detection

In case of inflammation, hydrogen gas is odorless, colorless and its flame is invisible.
HARMFUL EFFECTS LINKED TO
HABITUATION RISKS

As for all dangerous gas, it is absolutely necessary to stay extremely vigilant during the
use of hydrogen gas.

Even if all employees in charge of the hydrogen plant are informed about the risks due to
the hydrogen gas, employees become generally less vigilant after several years of
experiment. This is due to a too big trust in the use of hydrogen gas and that trust is
increasing with years.

The direct consequence of this kind of comportment brings harmful effects on the safety
measures and on the conditions of hydrogen use, for example :
-Risk to forget to wear antistatic clothes
-Risk to forget to switch off its mobile phone during the filling of a balloon
-Risk to open brutally or too quickly the hydrogen cock of the draw off panel
-Risk to increase the hydrogen pressure of the draw off panel in order to
« accelerate » the filling of the balloon,
-Lack of vigilance :
.During the hydrogen production (lack of daily verifications on the
plant)
.Where the balloon is filled
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS TO OBSERVE
 It is imperative to respect the following safety instructions:

It is forbidden to smoke or to bring in fire under whatsoever form near the hydrogen production
plant

The use of mobile phones is forbidden during the filling of a balloon

Eliminate all risks of sparks emission due to static electricity (friction of the balloon on a wall, brutal
opening of the draw off panel cock, filling pressure too high) by connecting systematically all the
metallic parts of the building to the ground, plus the filling table and the filling mantle (if this one is
metallic)

Eliminate all the clothes able to create static electricity (Nylon, synthetic…). Wear if possible pure
cotton clothes.

Check the presence of chalk in the balloon (inside and outside) before using it (chalk is an antistatic
agent)
The filling pressure of a sounding balloon shall not exceed 2 bars

The balloon filling phase has to be done on a filling table in order to avoid all risks of friction

SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS TO OBSERVE
METEOROLOGICAL BALLOONS


STORAGE OF THE BALLOONS
In order to avoid an artificial ageing of the balloons that could bring a loss of elasticity or a loss of
tightness, and then some balloons bursting or some gas leakages, following measures must be taken:

The balloons must be preserved inside their origin packing, in a dark room having a temperature
between 10 and 20° C and a relative moisture close to 60%.In the worst case, the temperature of the
room should not reach 35 ° C.

The balloons must be classified in the order of their manufacturing date to always use the older one
first.

FILLING OF THE BALLOONS

Check the presence of chalk in the balloon (inside and outside) before using it (chalk is an antistatic
agent)

The balloon filling phase has to be done on a filling table in order to avoid all risks of friction

The filling pressure of a sounding balloon shall not exceed 2 bars

The filling of the balloon has to be done slowly in order to avoid risk of hydrogen inflammation due to the
static electricity created by the friction of the gas between the chalk particles.

The filling of the balloon has to be done 15mn before launching it. When the balloon is filled, avoid to
expose it to sunlight.

In dry areas, it is highly recommended to connect the filling cock to the ground.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CELLS
REPROOF TEST

Periodical pressure proof tests every 5 years at 1.5 time the service pressure.

The proof test has to be witnessed by an expert from the competent National
Department.

Proof test certificate shall be issued after the stamping of the cell.

Proof test has to be performed with a hydraulic pump.

Proof test has to be made in case of visible defects on the cell such as :




Systematic reject has to be decided in case of visible defects on the cell such as :






Notch or groove 5% deeper than the thickness of the cell,
Lamination (fold, overlap, entrapment, flaking of the metal),
Punch marks, collar not fixed, Grinding recess or suspect stain.
Projection on the surface of the cell visible to the naked eye,
Dent greater than 0.5% of the outside diameter of the cell,
Crack or tearing of metal,
Damage due to fire,
Arcing or blow torch damage.
Systematic reject of the cylinders has to be decided after 15 years of operation.
FOR MORE INFORMATIONS
PLEASE CONTACT
SAGIM S.A.
35, RUE SCHEURER-KESTNER
42000 SAINT-ÉTIENNE (France)
Tel. : + 334 77 92 20 00
Fax : + 334 77 74 71 09
[email protected]
www.sagim-gip.com
THANK YOU